


Wings

by Filliam



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:12:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3147089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Filliam/pseuds/Filliam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prompt by Natasha, who talked about the odd effects having flight in ALO would most likely cause. Do those guys have back pain? Is there a bleeding effect or something? Didn't go into it as much as I could, but I think it turned out okay for such a short fic. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote>





	Wings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ProwlingThunder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProwlingThunder/gifts).



The school gardens at the SAO Survivor School were surprisingly broad and calming. The immense cedar trees gave ample shade through the pathways to the main school building, giving students a brief relief from the scorching summer heat they would have to face inbetween classes. Kazuto put his palms over his back and let out an audible groan, interrupting the gentle atmosphere provided by the robins’ chirping. With the way he mumbled and stretched, all he needed was a cane to make a genuine elder. The chestnut haired girl beside him laughed subtly with a hand over her mouth, staring down at his sage expression, so unfitting for his delicate face.

  
“Asuna… What are you looking at?” he asked, flustered.

  
“Oh, it’s nothing, just…”

  
She paused and contained herself from laughing again. “… The way your back hurts all the time, you’re like an old man, you know!” she said. Her sheepish expression looked as if she was expecting to see how frustrated the comment would make him.

  
The young man blushed lightly and replied to his girlfriend in a high tone. “Oi, that’s kinda mean, you know! You could at least use the word mature” he pouted.

  
There was something oddly endearing about the way Kirito looked when he was embarrassed, something that would cause Asuna to periodically aim to see him that way. She always felt a little bad after doing so, but the prize – seeing that cute face drop its usual wise looks to what she would call a more natural state – proved itself too tempting every time.

  
She apologized, raising her stretched palm in front of her face (though she didn’t look all that sorry). She jested he should check that with a doctor.  
“Actually…” Kirito explained. “I did. Apparently it’s psychological. Well, not like that I guess… You know how we use our back muscles to fly on ALFheim Online?” he pointed at his back as he said that. “Our brains are wired to believe that by forcing our backs we are able to fly, like we had actual wings stretching from our backs. Of course, the game can’t produce sensation on our wings or anything similar, since our brains have no input for it, so it’s like an illusion of sorts.”

  
Asuna nodded. “And? It’s not like your body actually moves while you’re under Full Dive, right?”

  
“Well… My back hurts because I keep twitching my back muscles in real life.”

  
Asuna gazed Kirito with piercing eyes, and gently moved both of her hands over his cheeks. Her hazel eyes looked into his fiercely as her expression looked gradually more serious. She appeared to be preparing herself to say something critical. He gulped.

  
“Kirito”, she said, calmly yet coldly. He nodded in response, somewhat worried over the sudden change of tone.

  
“Kirito…” she said, once more. “… You’re trying to fly around in real life. You’re such a nerd!”

  
Her face distorted as she laughed wildly, coming to a stop only after choking from lack of breath. Kirito’s face changed to the hue of red she loved so much and the betrayed expression she yearned to see.

  
“But, you know, I don’t think it’s that, really. I mean, you’re the only one I’ve seen doing it other than Agil. He is kinda old though…”

  
“Wait, are you really saying this is something only I do? The game should have a warning about that or something…”

  
Asuna’s face flared up again like a fox’s. “Blaming it on videogames? Wow, Kirito, you really are an old man!”

  
Brimming red with that final offense, Kirito walked ahead and refused to speak to Asuna until they were back to class.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt by Natasha, who talked about the odd effects having flight in ALO would most likely cause. Do those guys have back pain? Is there a bleeding effect or something? Didn't go into it as much as I could, but I think it turned out okay for such a short fic. Thanks for reading!


End file.
